Sanguine Siblings: Shumei IPA

My first taste of a Blood Brothers Brewing product was their Shumei IPA. According to the copy on the cooler at the Toronto-based brewery and bottle shop, Shumei is BB's biggest-selling ale. It comes in 500mL bottles that feature a BEAUTIFUL label. At 7% alcohol, Shumei is a handsome orange-gold brew. It's hazy and pours with a fluffy cover of white head.

With a dank and resinous aroma, this beer's scent is definitely reminiscent of a certain euphoric plant that may soon be legal in Canada. The flavour, while mainly bitter and resinous, has layers beyond the hempen, however, with some light fruit notes, hay, and pine making cameo appearances.

For a first dip into the Blood Brothers reservoir, I found Shumei IPA an exciting and energetic brew. It was flavourful, adequately strong, and not a typical or boring India Pale: bitter and not bashful about it. Damned good stuff worth buying.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.